March 09, 2010

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A Pennsylvania woman who identified herself online as "JihadJane" has been indicted for recruiting terrorists online, especially those who had passports that would permit them to travel freely in Europe, and for joining a plot to kill a Swedish artist.

Colleen LaRose, who's about 47 and lives in the Philadelphia suburbs, allegedly joined with other would-be terrorists online and traveled to Europe to kill a Swedish resident. The indictment doesn't name the target of the plot, but news outlets in Ireland report that seven people were arrested there today in connection with a plot to kill a Swedish artist, Lars Vilks.

Vilks got police protection in 2007 after receiving death threats following publication of a cartoon that depicted the Prophet Mohammed as having the body of a dog. Al Qaeda put a $100,000 bounty on Vilks's head, but there is no reference to the terrorist group in the indictment.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on the identity of LaRose's planned victim or on any connection to the arrests in Ireland.

"i will make this my goal till i achieve it or die trying," LaRose wrote in an email about killing the Swede, the indictment alleges.

The indictment says LaRose, aka JihadJane, traveled to Europe in August 2009 and later joined an "artists enclave" that the target belonged to. It's unclear why the alleged plot fell apart.

Justice Department officials said the unusual nature of LaRose's case demonstrates that the terrorist threat is becoming more diffuse, while still deadly serious.

"Today’s indictment, which alleges that a woman from suburban America agreed to carry out murder overseas and to provide material support to terrorists, underscores the evolving nature of the threat we face,” said David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division.

According to court records, LaRose was arrested back in October on a preliminary passport fraud charge filed during the summer. She agreed to pre-trial detention and is presently in a federal jail in Philadelphia.